Safety-catch for elevators



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. ALBERT.

SAFETY CATCH FOR ELEVATORS. NO. 331,269. Patented Dec. 1, 1885'.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()rricn.

HENRY ALBERT, OF CRESCENT CITY, CALIFORNIA.

SAFETY-CATO H FO R ELEVATORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,269, dated December1, 1885. Application filed January 29, 1885. Serial No. l54,310. (Nomodel.)

' platforms for the purpose of arresting the fall and holding the loadat any point when an accident to the hoisting-rope takes place; and myinvention consists in certain improved construction and combination ofsafety-catches and operative mechanism, as hereinafter more particularlydescribed, whereby the catches are mechanically thrown out and caused toengage with the guides, ways, or stationary upright surfaces of theelevator-well when the rope breaks. It includes, also, certaincombination of parts and mechanism adapted to open the sliding traps ordoors of the landings while the elevator is running properly; but whenthe hoisting-rope breaks the device is caused to engage with the sidesof the elevator-well and operate as brakes.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view ofan elevatorcage and the sides of the well or shaft to which myimprovements are applied. Fig. 2 is a similar section taken transverselyor at right angles vertically. Fig. 3 is a view of the cage, showing thedoor-actuating mechanism and the safety-catch in position when thestrain is on the hoisting-rope and the elevator is running properly, andFig. 4 is a view taken at right angles to the view Fig. 3.

A A are the four sides or walls of an elevator-shaft, and B theelevator-cage. Upon the sides A A are notched guides or racks G, fixedalong the sides of the upright timbers. To engage with these notchedsurfaces, there are fixed beneath the bottom of the cage twodrop-levers, D D, opposite to each other. They are pivoted at d (1, nearthe outer ends, and at these ends there are points D, that form pawls toenter the notched surfaces when thrown out, as in Fig. 1. This positionis given by dropping the longer ends of the levers. When these ends areraised up, the points D are drawn in to clear the notches, as shown inFig. 3. In this position the inner ends, D of the levers lap over eachother, and they are slotted to take over a pin or stud, E, on an uprightbar or rod, H, that passes through the cage and out at the top. To theend of this rod, above the cage, is connected the hoisting-rope, so thatthe tension comes directly on the rod. The lower end is slotted, and theends of the levers D D pass through from opposite sides and are attachedby the pin E. As long as the elevator is working properly the levers Dare held up out of action; but when the strain is taken off the rod itdrops by its own gravity and the reaction of a coil-spring. These partsconstitute a simple clutch device that is thrown into action by thebreaking of the hoisting-rope. Gonnected with these parts, and operatingwith them, is the mechanism for bringing the friction-brake into action.This part of the apparatus is formed of the door-operating inclines Iand a set of brake-bars, 1K, carrying shoes or friction-surfaces L,ofrubber, on their ends.

Instead of fixing the inclines rigidly to the bottom of the cage, Iattach the outer ends of the bars I by hinge-joints to the cage, andthen connect them by link-bars K to a slide bar or post, H, running upthrough the cage and out at the top. This slide-bar is hollow, and theprincipal rod, H,works through it. Upon the upper end of this hollow baris an enlarged cylindrical portion or barrel, m, with a bottom flange toreceive the coil-spring N, and this barrel portion works through thecross-headP of the cage, so that when drawn up its upper end will strikeagainst the fixed frame P and the coil-spring will be compressed. Therod passes out through the end of the slide-bar to receive theconnection of the hoisting-rope, and these two parts-the rod and thesurrounding bar-are connected by a crosspin, q, that works through avertical slot, h, in the outside bar. The links are attached at pointsZto the end of the hollow bar H by hinge-joints, and by similarconnections are united to the bars I. On the outer end of each link issecured a block of rubber, L, in such manner that it projects beyond theline of the edge of the bar when the link is thrown down into thehorizontal. When the inclines are drawn in, and are in working positionto act upon the traps or doors, the rubber surfaces come within theedges of the inclines and are out of the way. Figs. 3 and 4 ofthedrawings show these two positions. The rubbers L are fixed to the barsby fastenings of such character that they can be readily detached andset out to present new surfaces for contact with the sides of theelevator-well as they wear down. These two partsthe clutch and thefriction-brakeare thrown into action together as soon as thehoisting-rope breaks, the one against the ratchet-bar or series ofnotches along the sides of the upright guides, and the other against thesides of the well or shaft in which the elevator runs.

The use of the friction-brake and the clutches together gives doublesecurity against accident when the hoisting-rope breaks. Both are throwninto action at the same time by the operation of the spring, and oneassists the other in taking hold of the surfaces provided in the run ofthe cage. As'the friction-brakes serve also as door-operators whenclosed together during the regular travel of the cage, they do not addto the number of parts or increase the mechanism for operating thedevice, the additional slide-bar H and its connections being the onlyparts added. In addition to this operation, also, the separation of thetwo bars at the time the brakes are brought into action causes them tono longer work the doors in the elevator-shaft, and where these doorsare sliding or horizontal traps across the shaft they are thus broughtinto service as another agent to arrest the descent v of theelevator-cage.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination,with an elevator and its shaft, of the friction-brakelevers I I, applied to operate also as door openers and closers, theslide-bar connected with the hoisting-rope at its upper end and to thelevers I at its lower end by the links K K, the frictional surfaces L L,and the spring N, substantially as herein described.

2. The combination,with an elevator and its shaft, of frictional brakelevers having shoes or surfaces L to engage with the sides of the shaft,and the slide-bar connecting said levers with the hoisting-rope, and aspring, substantially as herein described, to operate in the manner setforth.

3. A safety device for cages or platforms of elevators, consisting of asliding bar, H, running through the cage and connected with thehoisting-rope at the upper end, the pivoted levers D D D D, connectedwith the slide-bar; at their inner ends, so that by the drop on thedownward movement of the bar the outer ends, D,will be thrown out beyondthe sides of the cage and in position to engage with a rack or notchedsurfaces at each side of the elevatorwell, the spring N, and thehinged-bars J J, connectedwith the slide-bar H by links KK, in themanner described.

4. The combination together of the pawl-andrack clutch device and thefriction-brake leof the pawl-and-rack clutch, substantially as"described.

HENRY ALBERT. [L. s]

Witnesses:

JOHN M. FULWEILER, G. O. COKE.

